Youth Count

There is a noticeable dearth of national and local data on the number, patterns and characteristics of homeless youth. Communities across the country can move towards improving data on youth homelessness by conducting comprehensive targeted youth counts. Improved data will help communities size the scope of the problem to better target interventions to solve the problem of youth homelessness.

To improve data on homeless youth HUD should make a concerted effort to better include youth ages 18-24 years old into its bi-annual Point-In-Time Counts. Furthermore, all programs serving homeless youth should input data into HMIS to be able to better understand the number, patterns, and characteristics of homeless youth in their community.

The map is for educational purposes to indicate which communities have done targeted youth counts, along with their results and methodology; and to illustrate the lack of national data that is had on homeless youth. the Alliance is not making a statement of endorsement or accuracy by posting findings and links to reports of communities that have done counts and/or surveys of youth that are homeless.

Spotlight

In this recording of a webinar, "Prepare for the 2015 Point In Time Count Enumerating Unsheltered Youth," which originally streamed Sept. 23, 2014, speakers discuss effective strategies for including youth in the upcoming 2015 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. It covers everything from useful planning tactics, guidance from HUD on conducting reliable unsheltered counts of homeless youth, to PIT Count implementation. During the webinar, leaders from communities that span urban, suburban, and rural areas will share their most effective PIT Count strategies.

This webinar focuses on strategies used by three communities – Washington, DC, San Jose, CA, and southern Nevada – to assess the prevalence of youth homelessness. The webinar provides guidance on how youth providers, advocates, and others can partner with Continuums of Care (CoCs) to ensure a successful youth-inclusive Point-In-Time (PIT) count in 2013. Speakers stress the importance of conducting an accurate PIT count to promote social policies that will end youth homelessness. Speakers also discuss how to involve youth in planning and implementing the PIT count.

This federal policy brief describes child welfare’s National Youth in Transition Database, which collects data on the services provided to youth aging out of foster care as well as the reporting of outcomes for youth who have exited, which includes homelessness. The survey is first administered at age 17, and then again when the youth is 19 and 21.

Library Resources

Many stakeholders in your community are committed to ending youth homelessness and are willing to participate in the planning and implementation of the PIT Count. This brief identifies key partnerships to develop to ensure that your community's Point-In-Time (PIT) Count successfully includes youth and youth stakeholders.

Having an accurate count of homeless youth helps a community to understand the scope of the problem and to design solutions. The District of Columbia Alliance of Youth Advocates (DCAYA) is leading the effort to deepen understanding about the prevalence and needs of homeless youth in Washington, DC.